


Snowfalls and Blizzards

by FrozenSnares



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Car Accident, Cute, F/M, First Kiss, Firsts, Fluff, Hospitals, Swearing, beginning of relationship, relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-27
Updated: 2015-04-27
Packaged: 2018-03-25 13:33:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3812380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrozenSnares/pseuds/FrozenSnares
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shireen thinks through her relationship with Rickon and remembers why she loves him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snowfalls and Blizzards

_Ba-dum._  
_Ba-dum._  
_Ba-dum._  
_Ba-dum._

Shireen remembered the beginning of her relationship with Rickon as if it was the beginning of her life. It was certainly just as important to her now, even if it started on very different terms.

She had needed a date. Her family was having a formal dinner party, and it was required of her to bring a date. Naturally, her parents had provided her a list of acceptable young boys her age to invite, but she burned the list the second they couldn’t see it. Shireen Baratheon knew she was an attractive young girl, and she was too self-reliant to heed their advice. After all, that’s how it had always been with them. They always wanted to control her, to shape her into a proper recipient of the “family fortune.” She would have none of it.

The following three days, Shireen scoped out the entire student body of her high school to find her perfect date. Of course, her perfect date was far from what her parents had in mind, and she quickly looked past the likes of Ned Dayne and sought out someone on the opposite end of the spectrum. There was a group of kids that was always secluded in a far corner of the school, most likely smoking or performing other deviancies her parents wouldn’t approve of. That was where she’d find her match.

After careful consideration of all the students in the group, she selected none other than Rickon Stark. He was younger than her by a couple years, but he came from a good family. Shireen needed something to fall back on in case her parents tried to cut her from him. After all, she wanted them to see the repercussions of forcing her into a certain way of life.

_Ba-dum._

Shireen had approached the group during lunchtime on a Monday. While most of them fell silent at her arrival, some had spoken up loudly, calling her “Tits” and “Babe.” She ignored them and beckoned Rickon to follow her.

His demeanor had been full of sly smirks and he had a strut full of swagger, but the second they turned the corner, he shifted. Rickon stuffed his hands in his pockets and hunched his shoulders. He took slower steps, though his legs were still long, and he was surprisingly placed away from her space.

“I’d like to go out with you,” Shireen announced. He was visibly startled, taken aback by her announcement, but he agreed, biting his lip all the while. Just before she left, she saw a sheepish smile appear on his face. 

That was when she knew she was already in too deep.

_Ba-dum._

It wasn’t until the next day that Rickon approached her at lunchtime. He was dressed as sloppily as before, but his jeans weren’t as cut up and he looked more put-together with a sweater covering his baggy t-shirt. Shireen was acutely aware of her friends snickering at them and speaking in loud whispers, but she gave Rickon her attention. He asked for her phone number. She gave it and watched as his fingers trembled over the keys. He messed it up three times before she took his phone and inputted it herself. Rickon looked as if he was internally scolding himself, so she gave him a smile when she handed back his phone. He lit up then, grinning back at her, thanking her several times, and clumsily walking away. He even crashed into the door on the way out.

Afterwards, her friends spent the remainder of the day asking her everything about him, about why he wanted her number, about why she willingly gave it. Shireen didn’t answer them. Yet. She now had plans.

_Ba-dum._

Rickon called her two nights later. She wasn’t expecting him to call, or to ever actually use her cell phone number, but she still picked up after a few rings. He stuttered more than she thought he would before he managed to ask her out on a date. He offered to take her to a museum of all places, and she agreed. Later, she wondered how he thought of the idea.

After their date, Rickon shyly confessed that it wasn’t his idea. His cheeks flushed a deep red as he told her of how he asked his sister for help. Apparently, she had advised him to dress nicer and to learn how to talk around her. She had suggested the date to a museum, but Rickon wanted to take her out for ice cream.

They shared a bowl of ice cream later and had a polite conversation. It took a few minutes for Rickon to get his tongue in order around her, but he was extremely good at talking to her once he did. Not once did he give her vague compliments (another suggestion from his sister), but he was incredibly thoughtful when they walked together. Rickon was always half a step behind her, offering his hand up and down stairs, offering his jacket when the wind grew strong, and he took the time to keep her on the inside of the sidewalk while they traveled. Shireen gave him a kiss on the cheek when they departed, and Rickon was literally lost for words.

Shireen realized she might actually come to love him.

_Ba-dum._

Rickon quickly grew to be part of her immediate friend group. Her other friends had a hard time accepting him, but they grew to enjoy his company. He took a while to open up to them, too, but he welcomed them all the same when they started to ask him questions. Every day, they sat together. Rickon was always at her side. He spent his time finding ways to be closer to her, to touch her. Shireen accepted his advances, especially since he would always start blushing furiously if she ever flirted with him.

They never made it to the family dinner.

They went on another date instead.

_Ba-dum._

Shireen and Rickon were soon inseparable during their time together. He was always holding her hand or had an arm slung around her shoulders. A few times, she watched him reach for her waist, but his hands never quite made it there. Shireen knew he was restraining himself, and she wondered when he would break that barrier.

_Ba-dum._  
_Ba-dum._

Shireen easily remembered their first kiss.

Rickon had taken her to walk at the park. They played on the swing sets together, and he brought them snacks. He refused to call it a picnic. Sitting on the blanket, Rickon looked plenty anxious as he asked if he could kiss her. Shireen’s heart started racing and she struggled to stay calm in her reply. Her face was probably red, but she agreed anyway. Rickon kissed her with all the tenderness and care that she correlated with passionate lovers. Even without a deep kiss, she was still swept away by his kindness and thoughtfulness.

She knew she was in love with him.

_Ba-dum._  
_Ba-dum._

Her parents didn’t approve. 

She didn’t expect them to. All they knew about Rickon Stark was his reputation in his family for being wild, impulsive, and thoughtless. They also knew his reputation at school and his history of pulling pranks and failing classes. They didn’t know how he treated her. They didn’t know that he held her like she was a fine glass doll, ready to shatter at any instant. They didn’t know that he kept her laughing throughout all their time together. They didn’t know that he only ever gave her chaste kisses. They didn’t know that he spent more time kissing her temple and forehead than her lips. They didn’t know that he would give her his jackets and stand in the freezing cold just to keep her warm.

They didn’t know Rickon Stark.

_Ba-dum._  
_Ba-dum._

Shireen remembered how he suddenly became shy around her again. Rickon spent three days side-stepping around her with his face flushed red. Shireen was suspicious, but she let it play out. Eventually, Rickon had asked her if she’d wear his hockey jersey on their game day. He had made it to the varsity team, but he had also refused to admit that he was proud of it. Shireen took the jersey. Then, she took a kiss.

Even though Shireen had never had a particular interest in sports, she attended every single one of his games. At the games, she often caught Rickon glancing up to her seat whenever he scored. A few games later, she met his family. They were there cheering him on, but they went out of their way to approach her because “You’re wearing my little brother’s jersey. Do you want to explain that?”

Rickon was particularly full of embarrassment when he greeted her first after the game. He had completely ignored his family standing behind her to envelop her in a hug and give her a kiss. The taunts and jeers he got from them caused him to flush yet again, and he nearly fled. Instead, Shireen was introduced to them, and she was invited over after every game for celebratory pizza.

_Ba-dum._  
_Ba-dum._

Shireen got along spectacularly with his family. They were endlessly accepting of her, and Rickon eventually gave up his efforts to spirit her away for himself. He didn’t take long to be affectionate with her, even in their presence.

Rickon was always a shifting force of nature. He may have started as a rush of storms when they met, but he settled into a calm pressure of supportiveness and kindness. Shireen decided that he was snow. He was the first snowfall of the season every time she saw him again. Rickon was always excited her. He had an aura of danger about him, sure, but he could always find a way to make her smile again. It was just like her first slip on the ice that had turned into a nice downhill slide. Rickon was that comfort. Rickon gave that to her.

_Ba-dum._  
_Ba-dum._

The “I love you”s were a long time in the making, but well worth it for Shireen. It wasn’t after the grand fanfare of his last game or in the chaos of some party. No. Rickon secluded them for this. He took her out on his family’s property, past the garden and into the woods. Shireen had bitten down a small amount of fear until he explained that it was his favorite place to go. Rickon explained to her why his family still tended to the wood, why it was important to them, what it represented. Together, they sat by a tree – a Heart Tree, of all things – and enjoyed the silence of the wood. 

Several minutes passed before Rickon told her. Shireen had expected it somewhat, but it came as a shock all the same. Slowly, she looked over to Rickon. He was slumped against the tree, hiding behind his messy hair. He was still holding her hand, as he always was, but he managed to fidget anyway. Shireen watched his icy blue eyes fill with fear when she took a while to respond. It wasn’t until he asked her to say something that she finally said the same back to him.

Then, they were lost in kisses. Rickon’s hand swept her cheeks with the same level of care as before. He held her tenderly, stroking her hair and holding her close. Shireen always knew she was pretty. At least, she knew she was objectively attractive and nice to look at, but Rickon called her beautiful and made her heart stop. Rickon kissed her passionately, finally, _finally_ letting his hands roam her body, and Shireen welcomed him wholly. She teased him back, and they were a laughing mess. Before long, their kisses became full of tongues and sighs and moans. 

_Ba-dum._

Shireen loved Rickon.

_Ba-dum._  
_Ba-dum._

He loved her.

_Ba-dum._  
_Ba-dum._  
_Ba-dum._

Her family never quite came around to Rickon. Even though he visited as often as she asked, her parents treated him coldly. Whenever he left, they were always suggesting that she break up with him. They even tried to invite potential dates over in his absence. Shireen spared them no attention when they came over, going so far as to slap one of them when he tried to kiss her. He may have called her a bitch, but she got the last laugh when Rickon was waiting outside as he left. He tried to pick a fight with Rickon, but Shireen didn’t let it go that far. She intervened on her own, and put him in his place before turning back to kiss Rickon.

Her parents said she could do better.

She knew there wasn’t a better.

_Ba-dum._  
_Ba-dum._  
_Ba-dum._

She lost her mother six months into their relationship.

While Shireen had developed only a mild fondness for her mother, she still loved her all the same. Hearing about the car crash nearly broke her, being pulled out of class for the news. Rickon ditched class to find her, holding her in silence as her sobs filled the corridor. He was her support through the day, sneaking into her classes, giving her food, kissing her hair, walking her home.

Rickon was firmly at her side through the funeral, too. Not once did he release her hand, even when she went to give a small eulogy. It was a good thing, too, because she couldn’t make it through. Only a couple sentences in, Shireen broke into sobs. Rickon held her to his chest as he read the rest of Shireen's written eulogy for her. They burned the paper with her mother’s body. Rickon refused to leave her that night, much to her father’s annoyance. They slept on the couch. Shireen recovered.

_Ba-dum._  
_Ba-dum._  
_Ba-dum._

The seasons slowly went back to the warmth of spring and summer. Shireen and her father grew apart with her mother’s death, but Rickon was still with her.

He became a near-constant presence in her life, even though he didn’t spend all of his time with her. Shireen sought out reasons to have him over, but he often suggested that she spend time with friends instead. He’d always be there, he said, and so she agreed. Shireen slowly worked her way back into her friend group, learning how to laugh and feel connected to people again.

And Rickon was there when she needed him.

_Ba-dum._  
_Ba-dum._  
_Ba-dum._

 

_Ba-dum._

Shireen tried to remember more. Her recent past was a blur to her.

_Ba-dum._

She was a senior.

_Ba-dum._

Graduation was next week.

_Ba-dum._

There was a party.

_Ba-dum._

Oh.

_Ba-dum._

The party.

_Ba-dum._  
_Ba-dum._

Shireen struggled out of the haze and fog of sleep. Immediately, she wished she hadn’t. Her entire body was aching, and she could feel her skin pulling at tape that had been placed over her arms and face. Shireen blinked, trying to force her vision to return. Her left eye was covered with gauze. She felt blind. Slowly, her heartbeat left her ears. Then, she started to look around.

She was in a hospital bed. Her upper left arm was covered in gauze, and an IV was stuck into her right arm. Shireen wanted to sit up, but she was weak and tired. She didn’t know what day it was. She didn’t know how long she’d been in here. Suddenly, she felt nauseous. Shireen started coughing, and it hurt her throat. She needed water. She needed something in her stomach. The coughing felt like it wouldn’t stop.

The door opened slowly, and then there was a rush of footsteps. Someone’s hand circled her back twice before holding out a small cup of water for her. She drank thirstily before looking up.

“Dad?” she croaked out.

“Shireen…” Her dad looked worse for wear. He looked completely haggard and beaten, but there was a spark of hope in his eyes now.

 _Oh._ Her memories came back in a rush. She left the party with her friends after kissing Rickon goodnight. He offered to see her home, but she refused, saying that her house was only a couple blocks away. Everyone was sober, but they had been hit. They had been hit. There was another accident.

“Dad!” Shireen sat up quickly to throw her arms around him, but he pressed her back into the bed, bending down to meet her instead. He didn’t speak. He just pulled up a chair beside her and held her hand until a nurse came in.

“I see our patient is up,” she announced, moving over to check the equipment at the bedside. “We’ll need to go over a lot, and you’ll probably be in a couple more days before release, but we’ll get you squared away soon.”

Her father cleared his throat at her side. “There’s some damage,” he said slowly. “None of the surgeons think they can fix it.”

Shireen wasn’t sure what was wrong. She felt mostly okay. Presumably, they just needed to remove her bandages and she’d be okay. “What damage?” she asked.

“Oh… it’s easier if we show you, dear,” the nurse said. Shireen felt the nurse pulling off the bandage on her face, and she suppressed a wince. Her exposed skin felt raw, and the chill of the hospital stung. After a moment, the nurse handed her a mirror.

Shireen saw the problem immediately. The entire left side of her face had been almost entirely torn up. The mix of cuts, punctures, and abrasions left her half-healed skin looking a brutal mess. Shireen put down the mirror as the nurse started dabbing the skin with something. Swallowing hard, Shireen pushed the thought from her mind only to have another bloom in its place.

“How long has it been?” Shireen asked. She felt stupid not knowing, but just being conscious was making her head pound. Grabbing onto her forehead, Shireen tried to settle down.

“Just two days, dear,” the nurse replied. She gingerly placed a new bandage over her cheek. “You’ll be up and at ’em in no time.”

Shireen bit back her other questions. She wanted to ask about Rickon. He was all she had dreamed about during her time asleep, but the worry of her father outweighed him for the moment. The nurse left after injecting something into her IV, and she settled into a light sleep.

A couple hours later, she awoke to a large clatter from the hallway. Shireen could see her dad frowning at her side, and she tried not to ask the question on the tip of her tongue. She knew the answer anyway.

“What do you mean I can’t see her? You said she’s awake!”

Rickon. Her Rickon. Her fresh snow whipping up into a blizzard for her. Shireen wanted to go to him. Rickon could make this better. He could make anything better. Turning to her father, she saw a hard frown on his face. Then, she remembered. She wasn’t the same. She didn’t look the same. Shireen swallowed and turned back to the door, listening to the loud voices trying to calm Rickon.

 _They can’t bottle up this storm,_ Shireen thought.

“Do you want him to see you?” her father asked, grabbing her hand.

Shireen thought it over. There was a reason he asked that question and not the other. He knew the answer to the other. Shireen shook her head the smallest amount. She couldn’t stand having Rickon know. Not yet. She only just figured it out herself. She needed time.

Her dad left the room, opening the door the smallest amount to do so. Rickon’s shout of, “Fuck your _family_ rules!” drifted in before the door shut. There was his rage. That was what attracted her to him in the first place. He was a constantly-changing force, barreling through all of his problems until he managed to make it to the finish line. He would uproot the entire building if it meant seeing her. Shireen smiled at the thought, and her heart blossomed with love of him.

She needed him still.

But would he want her now?

Shireen pushed the thought aside, but it just came back. She had very obviously been attractive when they started dating. Maybe that’s what he liked about her. Maybe that’s why he agreed. Maybe his thoughts about her could change.

A few hours later, she got her cell phone back. She had dozens of missed calls, and even more missed texts. It wasn’t long until she figured out that most of them were from Rickon. She listened to his voicemails in the quiet of her hospital room.

_“Hey, it’s getting late. Are you home yet?”_

_“Shireen, please call me back. I love you. Tell me you’re safe.”_

_“I heard sirens. Did you hear them, too?”_

_“That wasn’t you, was it?”_

_“You’re in the hospital now. They won’t let me in… Shireen, I love you.”_

_“I love you. Please wake up soon.”_

_“I love you.”_

Shireen eyes were brimming with tears just listening to them. It was too easy to hear the panic in Rickon’s voice escalating. The time stamps didn’t help. Within an hour, she had been hospitalized. He sounded so defeated. 

She paused for a moment before looking through her texts. There were a few generic “Hey, heard what happened. Hope you’re okay” messages, but that was obviously not enough for Rickon.

_Call me when you get home, okay?_

_Are you home?_

_How about now?_

_Where’d you disappear to?_

_Call me._

_CALL ME_

_FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THE GODS PLEASE CALL ME_

_Shireen, I love you. I love you so much._

_I still want you to call me._

_So I know you can’t call me now, but I just want to tell you that I love you._

_I love you._

_I love you._

_I love you._

_(I’m going to pretend you’re saying it back.)_

_I love you._

_Remember when I waited for months to tell you I love you? Not anymore. Never again. I LOVE YOU._

_Our first kiss, too. Man, that was great..._

_Gosh, I sound pathetic._

_I don’t care._

_I still love you._

_So it’s only been like two minutes, but I still love you._

_My whole family thinks I need to sleep or something. They don’t realize that I need to tell you that I love you every five minutes._

_It’s super important._

_I love you._

_At least I’m practicing my grammar. Check out that punctuation!_

_I still love you._

_I really hope you’re at school. Also, I love you._

_You know, school’s a lot more exciting when you’re here._

_MY FUCKING MATH TEACHER THINKS THAT I NEEDED TO DO MY HOMEWORK OR SOMETHING EXCUSE ME BITCH BUT MY GIRLFRIENDS IN THE HOSPITAL_

_I apologize for my grammar on that last one._

_I do not apologize for my words._

_I love you._

_You’re way more important than math._

_LOL. SHE SAW THAT LAST ONE._

_I still love you._

_I think I’m going to run to the hospital as soon as the bell rings._

_Fuck, she gave me detention._

_Still running to the hospital. #iloveyou_

_Are you allowed to make out with people in the hospital?_

_I’m asking for a friend._

_(Hint: it’s you.)_

_Have I told you that I love you recently? Because I do._

_I love you._

_Five more minutes._

_I love you._

_I love you._

_Is texting while running bad?_

_Doing it anyway!_

_I loading._

_damn autocorrect_

_I live you._

_Maybe I shouldn’t text while running._

_Oh, so THAT one was fine?_

_I love you._

_I love you._

_So you’re stupid, fucking hospital won’t let me in, and your dad is quite literally driving me home and lecturing me about disturbing patients’ peace. BUT THEY TOLD ME THAT YOU’RE AWAKE AND I HOPE YOU SEE THIS SOON BECAUSE I LOVE YOU AND I’LL FIND A WAY TO BREAK INTO YOUR HOSPITAL ROOM I SWEAR I’LL BE THERE AS SOON AS I CAN._

_I was doing so good with the grammar, too._

_I love you._

_I love you._

_I love you._

_I love you._

_I love you._

Shireen was a mess of tears and giggles scrolling through the messages. She read them over three times before thinking about texting him back. Her thumbs hovered over the keyboard when another text from Rickon popped up.

_I love you._

Shireen typed up the same message and sent it back. Rickon called her immediately. She answered the phone to him repeatedly saying “I love you.” After a full minute of that, he took a deep breath.

“I love you,” Shireen said during his reprieve.

“Gods, Shireen, I love you so much,” Rickon said through a heavy breath. “That was probably the hardest forty-two hours of my life. It’s a good thing I’ll never go through labor.”

Shireen laughed into her phone. The shaking of her laughter hit her entire body, but she suffered through the aches for the sake of her joy.

“I missed that laugh,” Rickon said. “Can I go visit you now?”

“I think visiting hours are over,” Shireen mumbled.

“Fuck visiting hours,” Rickon replied. “I’m just going to walk in there.”

“Rickon.”

His voice became sheepish. “I love you, Shireen. I miss you.”

“I miss you, too.”

“Seriously, though, are you allowed to make out with people in the hospital?” Rickon asked. “I need to get close to you _now._ ”

“Rickon…”

He paused for a moment. “What’s wrong?”

Shireen sighed. “Something happened.”

“Yeah, I know that, silly,” Rickon said. “You were in a car accident. Your dad practically flipped his shit about it, which is entirely understandable, but I’m not going to leave my girlfriend all alone in an empty hospital room.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Shireen tried again.

“Well, that’s all I really care about right now,” Rickon replied. Shireen could hear his breaths getting shorter. “Nothing else matters except that I need to hold you in my arms, feel your heartbeat, and try to make out with you until someone kicks me out. Okay?”

“What if… What if something else also happened?” Shireen mumbled.

“I don’t care,” Rickon said quickly. “You could be missing an arm or a leg, or both of either, and I would still find a way to get to you and hold you. Nothing’s changed except I probably love you more now.”

Tears were streaming down Shireen’s face in earnest. She tried to hold herself together. “Probably?”

“Well, I mean, we’re already starting from a pretty high level of love,” Rickon said. “I think an ordinary person would probably explode from it, but I’m willing to risk that for you.”

“I love you.”

“Exactly!” Rickon said. “I think you get it now. Also, I love you.”

“Yeah, I have thirty-two messages confirming that.”

“Only thirty-two? Shit, I was supposed to do one an hour.”

Shireen laughed again, smiling into the receiver of her phone. “You needed rest, too,” she murmured.

“Fuck rest,” Rickon replied. “I need you.”

“Soon?” Shireen asked.

“Soon,” he agreed. “Want me to stay on the line until I break in?”

“Won’t that ruin your cover?” Shireen inquired.

“Nah, they haven’t found me yet.”

“Rickon!” 

“Fine, I’ll hang up. But I’m totally outside your door.”

Shireen started to say something in reply when the handle to her door started shaking. She swallowed hard and Rickon strolled in, hands in his pockets and hunched over just like when they first spoke. If Shireen thought her dad looked worse for wear, then Rickon looked like a train wreck. His eyes were bloodshot with dark circles beneath them. His skin also looked a few shades paler. The messy auburn mop on his head looked like it had been recently showered, but no other effort to tame it had occurred. All in all, Rickon looked like _he_ belonged in the hospital bed. Shireen was fairly certain that his socks didn’t match.

He walked over to the side of her bed, taking a hold of her hand. He clutched onto it as if she might disappear. Shireen gave him a light squeeze back. Rickon cleared his throat. “You never told me if it was okay to make out with people in the hospital,” he mumbled. “And you’ve got some gauze kinda… there…”

Shireen pulled on his hand as much as she could. “I don’t care,” she said. “I just want my kiss.”

Rickon gave her a brilliant smile before he leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. Shireen’s heart was soaring. Even with an innocent kiss, Shireen felt like she had entered pure bliss. After the briefest of moments, Rickon started to pull away, but Shireen pulled him back. She opened up her mouth to deepen their kiss. Rickon’s hands fluttered over her body before finally resting behind her head, holding her against him.

“Once we get that gauze off, I can kiss you properly,” Rickon said, winking at her.

Shireen bit her tongue. “It’s kind of… messed up underneath there…”

“Like I care.”

They kissed soundly for the next few minutes until Rickon crawled his way onto her bed. He stretched out next to her, holding her in his arms. Shireen curled into his chest, clutching onto his hand. Rickon didn’t stop pressing kisses to her hair until well into the night. He eventually nodded off next to her. Shireen didn’t bother to wake him. Instead, she fell asleep in his arms, wrapped in his warmth, wrapped in his comfort.

Maybe their relationship wasn’t how it started. Maybe Rickon wouldn’t love her the same way he did before. But he’d love her even more. He’d fight for her. He’d hold on to her. And he’d be there for her.

And Shireen couldn’t be happier about it.


End file.
